


Foundations

by SailorSol



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Gen, Hogwarts First Year, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Marauders, POV Alternating, Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-07-16
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-10-10 14:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/100657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorSol/pseuds/SailorSol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Sirius hate each other, Remus is trying to keep his secret, Peter is lonely, and Lily and Severus vow to be friends forever. There isn't some great evil lurking at the end of the school year, no enemy to face down, no mortal peril to avoid. Just a group of kids growing up and figuring out how they fit into this world that their parents have laid out for them and how to take that and make it their own. This is where it all began.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In a fit of insanity, I dove back in to Harry Potter for NaNoWriMo 2009, tackling the challenge of the Marauders, Lily, and Snape, in their first year at Hogwarts. I wanted to break some stereotypes and still try and stay within the bounds of canon.
> 
> The goal was to make them all into real people, with passions and beliefs, hopes and dreams and fears. To paint a picture of the Wizarding world in the early 1970s, and how Voldemort found a foothold to exploit.
> 
> Ambitious, I'm sure, especially since I really want people to read my story and say "Hey, wow, I actually like Peter!" Because I'm really sick of people just ignoring him or turning him into some whiny, wimpy tag-along that the others basically only keep around to harass. I think he has so much potential as a character, and I want to give him the chance he deserves.
> 
> Also note-the kids are in their first year; eleven or twelve years old. There is no romance in this story.
> 
> The story itself is finished, topping out at 48 chapters. Of those 48, about half of them have been edited, so I figured now was as good a time as any to start posting-and if enough people were bugging me for more, it would hopefully motivate me to finish editing the rest. Also, chapters are of varying lengths, so expect some shorter chapters and some longer chapters scattered throughout.
> 
> I'm going to try and maintain a regular posting schedule, but I've been extremely busy, and that isn't likely to change any time soon. Please bear with me.
> 
> Also, thanks to Robin and Vera Rozalsky, who both contributed to various stages of beta-ing and kicking me in the butt to get this thing anywhere near finished.
> 
> And I promise, after this, my notes will be brief.

Peter had spent most of the day hiding behind his favorite book. Despite having read it several times, he never bored of _The Count of Monte Cristo_, even if it _was_ written by a Muggle. His uncle had given it to him when he was seven and just starting to get the hang of reading, and his mother had fussed for days that it wasn't an appropriate book for him to be reading. But he had fallen in love with it, and spent most of the three weeks following his birthday reading it and reading it again.

So now, sitting in the corner of the train car, he turned once more to his old friend. He knew some of the other children, but he had never been particularly close to any of them, and this suddenly new environment had them all nervous. Excited, too, but the nerves had won out and he couldn't quite bring himself to try and make friends. Besides, what if he made friends with someone only to find out they were Sorted into a different House?

There were three others in the compartment he had chosen, all of them reading books. The red-haired girl and the black-haired boy seemed to already know one another, because they would occasionally comment to one another about something they were reading. He also suspected they were Muggleborn, because one had a copy of their Potions text while the other had a copy of the Charms book.

The other boy would look up every time the others spoke, but never said anything aside from a quiet greeting when he entered the compartment two hours earlier. Peter had taken note that the brown-haired boy was reading _A Tale of Two Cities_. He'd heard of it, of course, but the one time he had tried to read it, he found it terribly dull. Dickens might have been a wizard, but he knew nothing of writing a good adventure story.

The door to the compartment slid open. “Anything off the cart, dears?” an older woman pushing a trolley full of sweets offered.

Peter looked at the candy longingly as his stomach chose that moment to growl. He didn’t often get treats like that. His mother was always worried about him eating too much sugar.

“Oh, yes, please!” the girl said, standing up to peer at the contents of the cart, oohing and aahing over the Cauldron Cakes and the Chocolate Frogs and the Bertie Botts Beans.

_Must be a Muggleborn for sure_, he thought, watching as she carefully counted out a handful of knuts, bringing the candy back to her seat.

His stomach growled again, so he fetched the small sack his mother had given to him before the train had left. He smiled as he pulled out the sandwich.

_Chicken. She remembered_. The nervous knot in his stomach eased just a little with the reminder of his mother’s thoughtfulness at packing his favorite sandwich. The girl was sharing her treats with her companion, and Peter saw the brown-haired boy peeking over the top of his book with a look of longing.

"Want my apple?" Peter offered the other boy, realizing he didn’t seem to have anything to eat. He looked up, appearing startled. "I'm Peter, by the way. Peter Pettigrew."

"Remus Lupin," the boy replied. Peter offered the apple out to him again, and Remus took it reluctantly. "Thanks."

"Mum's always trying to get me to eat healthy stuff, but I really don't like apples, and she always gives them to me no matter how much I tell her that." He stopped talking abruptly, realizing he had been babbling, and looked down, trying to hide the blush he could feel growing on his face.

"Nice of her, regardless," Remus said, his voice still soft. Peter was amazed that there was someone else in the world who was about as shy as he was. Peter didn't know what else to say to that, so he took a bite of his sandwich while Remus took a bite of the apple, and they both avoided looking towards each other. Their awkward silence was broken by the girl.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for being so rude! I'm Lily Evans, and this is my best friend, Sev Snape," Lily introduced herself and her companion. Peter looked over to see the boy grimacing at what Peter assumed to be a nickname. Remus didn't look willing to speak up first, so Peter took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

"I'm Peter Pettigrew. That's Remus Lupin. You're Muggleborn?"

"I am, but Sev's mum is a witch. We figured out ages and ages ago that I am too, and we've both been_ dying_ to get to Hogwarts. How about you two?" Lily asked. She was bubbly and enthusiastic, and Peter couldn't help but smile--just a little.

"My mum's a witch. Dad was too, but he died when I was just a baby," Peter said.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Lily said. Peter was surprised that she did sound genuinely sorry, even though they had only just met. Something about the way she gave him her full attention when she asked him a question, making Peter feel like she actually cared what he had to say.

“It was a long time ago,” Peter said with a small shrug, uncomfortable with the subject. He didn’t even remember his father. Lily offered him a sympathetic smile before turning her attention to Remus, who blushed under the scrutiny.

"Dad's a wizard. Mum's a Squib," Remus said, barely audible. Lily beamed at him.

"I don't know about you, but I'm terribly nervous," Lily said, sounding anything but nervous. "I mean, here we are, at the beginning of something _amazing_! It's just like out of a storybook! I can't wait to start classes. Mr. Ollivander, he's that strange old man who sells wands in Diagon Alley, he said that my wand would be good for Charms, but I haven't even a clue if I'll be good at _any_ of it!"

"You'll be fine, Lily," Sev said, sounding as if he'd had this conversation with her plenty of times already. Remus had already buried himself in his book again, and as Lily smiled at her friend, Peter took the opportunity to do the same.

The others were nice enough, but Peter still didn't want to make friends with someone and find out they'd never get to see one another once they were at school. At least he knew the _Count_ would always be there for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My regular posting schedule won't be this quick in the future, but I'm just trying to whet everyone's appetites. And please note, before you start saying that the kids are out of character, I do have a method to my madness, and all will be revealed in good time.

Somehow Sirius had ended up stuck in a compartment with Bellatrix and her group of friends. He would have much rather found Andromeda to sit with, but she had gone off somewhere with her Mudblood boyfriend, and his mum had caught Bellatrix's attention and left her eldest son in her none-too-tender care.

The older kids were mostly content to ignore him, but not Bella. Narcissa had rolled her eyes early on and left, off to find her own second-year friends. So Sirius had become Bella's target for the too-long train ride. He did his best not to show any reactions to the series of spells she had started casting on him, and only long years of practice kept him silent. This was a game she had been playing with all of her younger family members ever since she had stolen her grandmother's wand when she was eight.

She was the only one who ever found it amusing, of course. If Sirius _were_ to react, Bella would make fun of him and call him a baby. But if he didn't, she would just keep trying harder and harder until he _did_. He only hoped that maybe her other friends would distract her enough so she would stop, or that he would be able to sneak off and find somewhere else to sit.

He shifted in his seat, as little as possible, but Bella had been waiting for this.

"What's wrong, cousin? Ants in your pants?" she asked, laughing at her own joke.

The other fifth years laughed as well until Sirius glared at them. He may have only been a first year, but he was a Black, and his name held plenty of sway. Especially since he was the oldest male in the family. He ignored Bella's attempt to bait him into reacting, and paid when she cast a stinging hex. He gritted his teeth and stared out the window.

He _hated_ Bella and her stupid games, and he was probably the only first year on the entire train that wasn't looking forward to going to Hogwarts. At least at home he rarely had to deal with Bella. Just his mum and Kreacher and Regulus most of the time, and he'd even rather sit through their formal, stuffy family dinners with his father looming over all of them every night than having to sit at the Slytherin table with Bellatrix for the next three years.

He couldn't even complain to anyone about her. The one time he had tried, he'd received an hour long lecture from his father on what it meant to be the scion of the House of Black and the responsibilities he had. How that related to Bellatrix torturing him, Narcissa, and Regulus he never did find out, but the message had been loud and clear--a Black never complained.

He'd also learned his lesson the one time he had tried to retaliate. Bellatrix had gone to Sirius' mum and he'd ended up getting spanked for hurting a girl and then he'd been given _another_ lecture about how a Black should treat a woman and an elder while Bella had stood in the corner smirking.

She was a demon in disguise, but all of the adults thought she was the perfect child. Sirius could admit that she had an odd charm, but he'd always thought Andromeda to be far nicer. He wasn't even allowed to talk about Andromeda any more, of course; not since she'd started dating that Mudblood last year. And even though they would be at school together for an entire year, he knew Bella wouldn't hesitate to tell his mother he'd been talking to her older sister. Or worse, use it as blackmail.

It wasn't until he tasted blood in his mouth that he realized he had been biting on his tongue. They'd only been on the train for a few hours, and he knew they wouldn't reach the castle until dinner time. He couldn't stay in this compartment much longer without using one of the curses that Narcissa had taught him at the beginning of the summer, and that was sure to get back to his mother.

It took most of his will power not to start throwing curses when one of Bella's friends decided to join the "fun". The hex itself was rather laughable; Regulus could have done better when he was six. Before Sirius could retaliate, though, Bella had cast a Body Bind on the boy, eyes flashing darkly in that way all of her relatives knew meant trouble.

"Think you'd try your hand, did you, Lestrange?" Bella asked the boy, running one finger down his cheek. Sirius could see his eyes wide in fright, unable to move or defend himself. The others in the compartment watched nervously. Sirius flinched as she smacked Lestrange. It was never good when she used physical retaliation instead of magical. A red mark bloomed on the fifth year's cheek. Her eyes flashed around to the others.

"Any of you like a try, as well? Poor little Sirius, the defenseless firstie; it's open season, boys and girls!" Bella said, cackling. Sirius tried to shrink into his seat as subtly as possible. One of the other boys started to raise his wand, but before a spell could even come to his lips, he was covered in painful looking boils.

"Let me make myself clear," Bella said, standing up with wand held casually at her side. "None of you have the right to even _think_ about touching Sirius. He is a Black, and if you wish to mess with one Black, you will have all of us to deal with."

Sirius had to swallow a lump in his throat, but he forced himself to sit up straight and level his own cool glare at Bella's classmates. They all looked terrified, and Sirius could feel a smirk growing, just a little. She might be sadistic and insane, but they were still family, and that was just reassuring enough. He had his family at his back.

Of course, that wasn’t always a _good_ thing, especially when one was related to Bellatrix.

Sighing quietly, Sirius stood and excused himself, claiming he needed to stretch his legs. It wasn't a complete lie, but Bella gave him a knowing look, and Sirius left as quickly as he could before she decided to give him boils or something equally horrendous for the rest of the train ride. Just because she would offer him protection from others didn't mean he was safe from _her_.

He kept walking until he found a quiet compartment. It was a group of Ravenclaws, probably third or fourth year, all engrossed in books, and they barely paid him any attention as he slipped into a seat, slouching down and keeping to himself. As long as he kept his mouth shut, he knew they probably wouldn't care that he'd taken refuge with them. He sighed, closing his eyes and wishing he was back at Grimmauld Place.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope people are enjoying this... I feel a bit like I'm talking to myself in an empty room. Oh well. That's life, eh?

“Did you hear about Greta Catchlove?” Bertha Jorkins asked, her already shrill voice rising above the sound of the Exploding Snap cards blowing up. James tried to tune her out, but Bertha wasn’t the type to allow herself to be ignored.

“What about her?” Dorcas Meadowes asked in return, leaning forward to catch up on the latest bit of gossip.

“My sister Elise says her friend Mary, who’s friends with Greta, found out that Greta’s _engaged_!” Bertha said. Dorcas gasped in surprise, but James knew it was faked. If Dorcas hadn’t already heard about that, she had spent half the summer living under a rock.

“She’s only a second year,” Dorcas said, scandalously. “Who did she get engaged to?” Bertha paused for a long moment, waiting for a lull in the noise of the compartment.

“Eric Munch,” she finally declared, and Dorcas gasped again.

“The third year? Poor girl,” Dorcas said. James chose that moment to make the deck explode again, and he and Frank Longbottom laughed as the two girls jumped and shrieked.

“Ooh, James Potter, you keep up at that rate and you’ll _never_ find a girl to settle down with,” Bertha threatened.

“Good,” James declared. “I’d rather play Quidditch anyway.” Frank laughed again, and James couldn’t help but feel a little flush of pride. He and Frank weren’t friends, precisely, but they had known each other their entire lives.

The others in their compartment were no more his friends than Frank, political alliances dictated by their parents. They had all grown up in Godric’s Hollow, their parents working at the Ministry together, and they were expected to spend time with one another, whether they wanted to or not.

“You just need to find yourself a girl who likes Quidditch as much as you do, mate,” Frank said, reshuffling the deck of cards and dealing them out again. The girls frowned distastefully.

“What is it with everyone? I’m _eleven_. The only girls I care about are the Holyhead Harpies,” James said.

“Man after my own heart,” Alex Brady said.

“Your mum’s been getting on you too, has she?” fellow first year Christopher Able asked.

“Why do you think I didn’t even go near Alice Carter at the last party? She can play a mean game of Quidditch, sure, but the moment my mum catches me talking to her, she’ll run off and start making wedding plans. Dad wants me to find a nice, suitable wife and settle down and make lots of little Potter babies and join the Ministry like him and his dad and his dad before him,” James said.

“Oh, well done, Chris, now you’ve got him ranting again,” Frank said, but his tone was light enough that James knew he was teasing.

“Well you try growing up with your dad being head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports and learning to fly before you can walk and going to every single Quidditch World Cup and having the English national team over your house for _dinner_ every year—“

“And being related to Bowman Wright, and having Quidditch in your blood, and Quidditch isn’t a respectable aspiration for a Potter,” Alex finished for him. “Yeah, James, we’ve heard this one before.”

James glared at Alex, but couldn’t help a smug smile as Alex’s hand exploded, singeing his eyebrows. The others laughed, and the mood was broken.

He couldn’t help the fact that he loved flying. The big, open field just outside of Godric’s Hollow had been his escape for as long as he could remember. Summer was his time, away from the tutors and the fancy parties and the talks of suitable girls and marriage and carrying on the family line.

Quidditch was the one time he really felt alive, felt like himself. Ever since he was eight and had proved himself to the older boys and girls in Godric’s Hollow, earning himself a spot on the pick-up teams.

His parents didn't always approve of how he spent his summer days, except that it kept him outside and out of trouble, a good way to build strong ties with the others. Most of the old families lived in the area, and those who didn't were always in town, trying to get in with the right crowds and be seen with the right people.

And when summer faded, those left behind would resume their lessons with private tutors, settling on racing up and down the field on their brooms without enough people to make up Quidditch teams. This year, finally, James wasn’t one of the kids left behind.

_Once I get to Hogwarts, I just need to show the Gryffindor team captain how good I am_, he thought, one eye on the card game. _Get myself a reserve spot for second year and I’ll be playing first string in third year and by sixth year I’ll be captain. And once mum and dad see how good I am too, maybe I’ll be able to convince them to let me play professional for a few years before I have to settle down and get married._

His thoughts were interrupted as the girls excused themselves to change into their robes. He shared a glance with Chris, his stomach flopping.

“Scared, Potter?” Alex asked with a laugh.

“_Excited_,” James replied. And he was—excited to finally be learning real spells, excited to be away from home for the first time, excited to get to make friends who weren’t just friends with him because they had grown up together and their parents were friends.

Excited to get Sorted into Gryffindor, like he knew he would. Excited to finally be starting on all of _his_ plans, the ones where he chose his own path in life and not the one his parents had decided for him before he was even born.

After all, he was a Potter, and Potters weren’t afraid of anything.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me again. Fruitlessly updating in the hopes that maybe, some day, someone will want to read this here. Oh well. Posterity! Allons-y!

Lily was torn between being absolutely terrified and dreadfully excited. Even after Sev had told her about magic three years ago, she had never really believed that _she_ was a witch too. She had almost burst of happiness when her Hogwarts letter had arrived on her eleventh birthday in April.

But now she was actually _here_. There was a giant of a man calling himself Hagrid leading them away from the train. It was a clear night, the stars twinkling overhead, and Lily could feel the excitement bubbling up even more as they followed a twisting path through the darkness to the edge of a large lake. She climbed into one of the little boats with Sev and the other two boys from the train compartment.

The boats were taking them to a _castle_ where she would get to learn all about magic. It loomed ahead of them in the darkness, windows glinting brightly against the night. Her voice had gotten stuck somewhere in her throat, but she didn't think she'd be able to find words to describe what she was feeling anyway, so she just squeezed Sev's hand tighter.

Together, they'd pored through his mother's copy of _Hogwarts, A History_, and had learned everything they could about their new home for the next seven years. They'd found a reference to a Sorting Hat, but the book didn't say anything more than it had been left by the Founders and offered no other clue as to how the Sorting actually worked.

The last three weeks had been spent reading through most of their textbooks and talking about which House they hoped to be Sorted into. Lily hoped that she and Sev would end up in the same House. She couldn't quite imagine being separated from the only friend she had here. They had become so close since that day on the playground when he told her about magic.

Even if Petunia had never approved and her parents had always been wary of the little boy with his tattered clothes and dark hair, Lily hadn't let that stop her. She had never cared about where he lived or how much money he had or how he dressed, and even if he had come to Hogwarts and she hadn't, she wouldn't just stop being friends with him.

There seemed to be a million steps they had to climb up to the front entrance of the castle before they were led inside by a stern looking woman who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress. Lily barely heard what she was telling them before she was gone from the small room, leaving the group of eleven-year-olds alone.

"Oh Sev, promise me we'll stay friends even if we're not Housemates?" Lily asked, turning to face Sev. "You're my best friend and it will just be _stupid_ to not be friends any more just because some mangy old hat says we shouldn't be."

Sev hesitated a terrifyingly long moment before he nodded his agreement. She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He tensed, but patted her on the back. She knew how much he hated physical contact, so she let go of him quickly, but she just couldn't contain her excitement.

"This year is going to be _fantastic_," she gushed. Before Sev could reply, the professor had returned and told them to follow her into the Great Hall.

It was indescribable.

Lily, like most of the other first years, couldn't help but stare in awe and amazement. Nothing, not even the description in _Hogwarts, A History_, could have prepared her for _this_. It reminded her a little bit of the cathedral they had visited last year in school, except so much better. The ceiling seemed to go on into infinity, filled with all the stars of the night sky scattered above her. Candles were floating above the four long House tables, and colorful banners hung all along the back wall.

Professor McGonagall led them up to the front dais, and the first years spread out across it in a line, ready for inspection from their new schoolmates. Lily thought at first that the professor had cleared her throat, so she turned to pay attention, when she realized it was the _hat_ that had started singing.

She was so amazed that she barely heard a word that it said, and by the time she forced herself to pay enough attention, it was done singing and Professor McGonagall had started giving instructions.

"When I call your name, come forward and place the Hat on your head," the deputy headmistress said as she unfurled a scroll of parchment.

"Able, Christopher!" A gangling boy with blond hair approached the stool, sitting down and letting the Hat drop over his head. Lily held her breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Ravenclaw!" the Hat shouted, and the boy removed the Hat, heading towards the cheering table decked out in blue and silver. He was grinning, so however the Hat actually made the decision couldn't be that bad. Lily let out her breath and let the excitement override the nervousness.

"Black, Sirius!" A black-haired boy, shorter than herself, strutted up to the seat with a confident smirk. She thought Professor McGonagall looked disapproving, but since she didn't know the professor yet, she couldn't be sure.

The Slytherins all looked ready to welcome him to their ranks, so Lily assumed he must come from one of those old families Sev had told her about, but she didn't want to get in trouble for talking, so she couldn't ask him.

"Gryffindor!" the Hat bellowed. The boy didn't move from the stool, and no one had started clapping. Lily was _sure_ that Professor McGonagall looked less than pleased now, but she put a hand on the boy's shoulder, and he finally stood up, handing her the Hat and heading towards the red-and-gold table in silence. His swagger was gone, and he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, a grim look on his face.

"His entire family has always been in Slytherin," Sev whispered to her as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and continued on to the next student. "They go back generations."

"How do you know?" Lily whispered in return as a blond girl bounced up to the stool.

"Everyone who knows anything about Wizarding families knows that. They're the _Blacks_, after all," he responded, tone somewhere between exasperation and condescension. It was the tone he always used when telling Lily something he thought was obvious.

Lily didn't get a chance to respond when her own name was called. She gave Sev one last fleeting smile and he squeezed her hand in reassurance before she went forward, stomach fluttering madly.

"Hello, young lady," a voice said in her ear once the Hat was on her head. She couldn't help but squeak a little in surprise. "Ah, no reason to be afraid, my dear. My, you're a clever one, aren't you? A difficult one to Sort, but I've never been wrong before. You belong in GRYFFINDOR!" Lily heard the House name echoing through the Hall when she tugged the Hat off her head.

This time, the red-and-gold table was clapping and cheering loudly, and she made her way to an empty seat near the Black boy who had already been Sorted there and another girl-Alice, Lily thought her name was, who had been two ahead of her on the list.

She had to crane her neck to see Sev still standing with the others on the dais, but she clapped just as loudly when Marcia Higgins became a Gryffindor, and when Lupin was Sorted into Gryffindor, and then Pettigrew a few minutes later. After that, a boy named Potter joined them, and Lily held her breath when Sev's name was called.

He tried to look cool and calm, but Lily could see how nervous he was. The Hat wasn't on his head very long before it shouted out "Slytherin!" Lily couldn't help but feel disappointed that they had been separated, and she got a few dirty looks from some of the older Gryffindors when she clapped for Sev anyway.

After all the rest of the students were Sorted, an old man with a long white beard stood up. Lily had to stifle a giggle at how stereotypical he looked as a wizard with his long robes and pointed hat and crooked nose. He reminded her of Gandalf, from _The Hobbit_, which had been her favorite book for as long as she could remember. He introduced himself as Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, and then food appeared on all the tables and Lily let herself be distracted by the feast.

The distraction didn't last long when a ghost appeared out of the center of the table. Lily felt foolish for the way she had squeaked and jumped, tipping over her cup of pumpkin juice.

"My apologies, dear child," the ghost said among laughter from the older students. "My name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, resident ghost of Gryffindor House. If ever you are in need of my services, do not hesitate to ask."

"Just call him Nearly-Headless Nick, everyone else does," one of the older boys said, and before Lily could question why, the ghost's head tipped over sideways, hanging on by a scrap of flesh.

"There goes my appetite," Marcia said, pushing away her plate. Lily couldn't help but agree, until a hundred different desserts appeared along the table.

"I don't think I've ever seen this much food all in one place before," she said, taking three different tarts after she saw others doing the same.

There was so much to see, and so much to try, and so many new people to talk to and make friends with that Lily barely even realized when the prefects were leading them off towards Gryffindor Tower with its portrait of the lady in pink and its comfortable looking couches and the four-posted beds with red and gold curtains and view out across the Hogwarts' grounds towards the lake and the Forbidden Forest.

_I wish Sev was here_, she thought to herself. _I know it's barely been an hour or two since we got Sorted, but I miss him._ Her new roommates were nice enough, but Sev was her best friend. They'd done practically everything together since they'd met.

_Chin up, Lily,_ she told herself. _You heard that hat. Gryffindors are brave. You'll still be able to see him all the time. More than before, probably, now that we'll have classes together. And we can still work together in the library or spend time together outside._

She remembered what her mum and dad had always told her about being brave. It didn't mean not being afraid, but not letting that fear take control. She was scared, being up in this tower without Sev, and she was scared that even though they promised to stay friends, they wouldn't be able to manage. And… she was scared that she wasn't going to be any good at magic and they would send her home.

But she was a Gryffindor now, so she pushed those fears down and focused on all the good things-new friends, new classes, _magic_; she would do her best to stay friends with Sev, do her best in all her classes so she could stay here at Hogwarts, do her best to be a Gryffindor.

She let that thought buoy her as she drifted off into sleep, excited about what would come next.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoy talking to myself. Really. I think it's the lack of smut that's discouraging readers... Oh well...

Sirius stared at his empty plate. His parents were going to _kill_ him. His stomach twisted painfully, and he had no desire to eat anything, even if the roasted potatoes smelled absolutely delicious and there were three different kinds of chicken to choose from. All he could think about was the Hat's voice inside his head.

'_A rebel, are you?'_ the Hat had whispered. But Sirius had never considered himself to be much of a rebel. Going against his parents or his family would only get him in trouble, and he much preferred being ignored than to be on the receiving end of yet another lecture.

'_I'm not a rebel_,' he had replied, trying to sound as confident as possible. '_I'm a Black.'_

'_Yes, you are. But not a Slytherin. Not nearly ambitious enough, and you'd rather not have to deal with your parents' expectations, would you?' _Sirius felt his stomach turn even just remembering those words. It didn't matter whether or not he wanted to be heir to the House of Black; he _was_, and it was as simple as that.

'_My family has always been Slytherin,_' he had replied. He shouldn't have been any different.

'_Ah, my dear boy, but that does not mean you need to be as well. I can see it here for myself, you would do anything not to be with your family. You'll do well in GRYFFINDOR!'_

And so here he was, in the Lions' Den. He snorted softly at the irony of that. He'd have done better to stuff his face full of food to keep quiet, because he had drawn attention to himself.

"Something funny, Black?" Sirius looked up to see who was talking to him. James Potter sat three seats down and across the table from him, glaring. They'd known each other for years, since Sirius' father was head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and always had to work with Mr. Potter for things like the Quidditch World Cup.

But their families loathed one another traditionally, and the two boys had willfully taken up the mantle of continuing that hatred at Ministry functions. Potter was always trying to bait Sirius into fights, even though he’d been at the disadvantage. The Black cousins always stuck together at those events, and Sirius had never been willing to risk getting in trouble for brawling with the likes of Potter.

"Just thinking about how red and gold really don't suit you, Potter. How does it feel knowing you're going to spend the next seven years looking butt ugly?" Sirius retorted.

"What are you doing here, Black?" Potter asked, not doing a very good job of stopping his cheeks from burning red. Sirius smirked at the reaction.

"Eating dinner," he replied casually, dumping a scoop of chicken pot pie onto his plate. "Though I'd not expect an idiot like you to be able to figure that one out on your own." A couple of the upper years sniggered, causing Potter to flush brighter.

"Why don't you crawl back to the Slytherins where you belong?" Potter asked. Obviously he really _wanted_ Sirius to keep humiliating him, so Sirius was happy to oblige.

"Who died and made _you_ head of Gryffindor, Potter? I got Sorted here, fair and square. If you've got a problem with that, maybe _you_ should go crawl off somewhere else. I'm sure a few of the Ravenclaws need their boots licked. In fact, I'm sure Daddy's taught you real well how to do that." This got more laughter from some of the boys Sirius knew were in fifth year. One of them was a _very_ distant cousin of his, but so were most of the Purebloods, Potter included.

Potter finally got the point, shutting his mouth and minding his own business. Sirius still didn't much feel like eating, but the other Gryffindors were paying more attention to him now, so he put on a good show of enjoying himself. No way was he going to let them see how concerned he was about his family. It wasn't any of their business, anyway.

Besides, he was a Black, and it didn't matter _where_ he was Sorted. Andromeda gave him a wave from the Ravenclaw table even as he knew Bella and Cissy were glaring from the Slytherin table. He didn't care what his cousins thought of him, anyway. He was a Gryffindor now, and he wouldn't have to face his parents until December.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not terribly happy with this chapter. Writing from Severus and James' POVs gave me the most trouble, especially near the beginning of the story, and I just couldn't find a way to fix this chapter. Oh well, they can't all be perfect, can they?

Severus Snape hadn't really expected to get Sorted into Slytherin. Part of him had always hoped he would be; it had been his mother's House, after all. But he wasn't a Pureblood, and he had heard enough stories to know that would reduce his chances greatly.

He never said anything to Lily about it, knowing she would _never_ end up in Slytherin. She was ambitious enough, of course, but she didn't have the ruthless qualities that were required in equal measure. And of course, everyone who knew anything about Hogwarts knew that Slytherin was made up almost exclusively of Purebloods. She was the only friend he had, and he didn't want to disappoint her before they even made it to Hogwarts. So he kept his mouth shut and clapped politely when she was Sorted into Gryffindor.

And then the Hat had Sorted him into Slytherin, whispering words of greatness into Severus' ear. It knew about his powers, the ones he hadn't even told Lily about. It knew how badly he wanted to prove himself, to show his mother that he could be just as good a wizard as she was a witch. That his bastard of a father hadn't given him anything more than a name and a few bruises.

The table was in an uproar about Black being Sorted into Gryffindor, enough that no one said anything to Severus except to briefly welcome him to Slytherin House. The reprieve would probably last less than a week before he started getting questions about his lineage; at least his mother's name would hold enough sway.

The feast was pleasant enough, though Severus wished Lily was there to talk to. He had become so used to her constant chattering over the last few years. Most people thought she talked just to hear her own voice, but Severus knew better; Lily was brilliant, and always had some sort of insight into the world around her. She had a quick mind, and that was part of what drew Severus to her.

Their friendship had been an odd one, of course. He never breathed a word of it to his parents, knowing his mother would frown down upon the idea of him running around with two Muggle girls--even if he _knew_ Lily was a witch. And his father would probably tell him not to waste his time on ‘rich brats’ who would never give him the time of day.

Petunia had stopped hanging around with them quite as much when she had turned eleven and really had turned out to be a Muggle, but Severus didn't mind quite as much. She was nice, in her own way, but she always put too much stock into appearances, and he could tell Petunia was mostly only humoring Lily by spending time with them.

That had always been one of the problems with his secret power. He didn't know how to make it stop, except by avoiding people. Not that he cared. Most of the time they would be polite and smile at him and secretly be putting him down because of his hair or his clothes or even sometimes his family. His father looked at him like a piece of scum, which was almost a relief, because that meant he hardly gave Severus a second thought.

His mother, on the other hand, looked at him and saw his father. He could _feel_ the loathing, and even those brief moments when he showed magic and she felt a burst of pride weren't enough to make up for the fact that she saw him as being tainted.

"Oy, firsties, let's go!" one of the fifth years barked at the group of new students. "Unless you want to get locked out of the dorms your first night here. And you'd best remember the password to the Common Room, because none of us are going to let you in."

Severus joined the queue with his new classmates, watching to see where alliances had already been formed and who was associating with whom. There were seven of them total, four girls and three boys including himself. The girls huddled together, heads bent in gossip even now. Severus fell in near the two boys, but they didn't say anything as they were led down towards the dungeons, stopping in front of a blank stretch of wall.

"Remember where the door is, firsties. The password is 'Draconis Maximus'. The new one will be posted on the board every week. Make sure you know what it is." The wall slid away to reveal the entrance to a long room with low ceilings. Green and silver tapestries lined the walls and several fireplaces roared, keeping it comfortably warm despite being underground.

It was just as his mother had described to him, when he had been a little boy and not too old for bedtime stories, before she had started drinking heavily and his father had started beating her. Before she blamed _him_ for the way her life had fallen apart.

He pushed those thoughts down and aside, taking in the Common Room. He felt a thrill run through him, but kept a firm lock on his emotions. He was eleven and far too old to be acting like a baby. Or like the girls, who were twittering and giggling; he’d never noticed how wonderful it was that Lily never acted like them.

"Boys' rooms down that corridor, girls' rooms down off the other. Sign on the door says 'Firsties' and you'll find your trunks already inside. My name's Lestrange and I'm a prefect, which means I get to take points from you if I want, so you'd best not get on my bad side, understand?" Severus nodded along with the others before the older boy left them to their own devices.

Severus followed the other two boys--Cattermole and Fowler, he remembered their names to be--towards their dorm room. Three beds were arranged inside, dark green curtains draped around them for privacy and warmth. It was cozy, in its own way, if not a little creepy the way the candles flickered and made the snake motifs look alive.

The three boys exchanged a silent look before heading towards their respective beds. Words weren't needed, and Severus was glad for that.

An understanding had been reached, at least for tonight. The political maneuvering would start in the morning when they all had the chance to better learn each others' weaknesses.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm shameless. Really, I am.

Remus couldn't sleep. His stomach had been churning almost non-stop since Wednesday, and a million thoughts were racing through his head. Sunday night would be the first test; his teachers already knew he wouldn't be in class on Monday. He hadn't told his roommates yet, but then, he had barely spoken to any of them except when asked a direct question.

He crawled out of bed and pulled on his robe, padding down to the Common Room. He wouldn't wake the others up with his tossing and turning.

_This is a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. Someone’s going to get hurt because of me. Mum and Dad and Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey will all end up in trouble because I’m being selfish,_ he thought. _Mum didn’t get to go to Hogwarts, and she’s a better person than I ever could be. Why should I get to be here?_

He curled up on one of the couches, glad to be alone in the darkness. He hated the idea of getting others in trouble because of him, hated the idea that he might hurt someone.

He should write to his parents; if he sent the letter now, they could come get him before Sunday night, before anyone had the chance to get to know him and miss him if he left. He could go home and go back to the life he had lived for the last five years.

_I don’t _want_ to go home, _he sulked. _Even if it means Mum will be there in the morning to take care of me. Not if I have to go back to the locked basement and Dad watching in silence and never talking to anyone my own age. I don’t care that it’s selfish! _

The memory of his eleventh birthday, just a few months ago, came back to him. He hadn’t expected the day to be anything special, until Headmaster Dumbledore had arrived at tea time to speak with his parents.

_“Thank you for speaking with me,” the headmaster had said gravely. Remus was perched at the top of the stairs, straining to hear the conversation from the living room. They were talking about him, he knew, but he hadn’t been allowed to stay._

_“You’re always welcome in our home, Headmaster,” his mother’s voice drifted up to him. The door to the room was closed, so even with his sensitive hearing, their voices were muffled._

_“What can we do for you, Headmaster?” his father asked._ __

_“You well know, Jonathan, that I am always advocating for equal rights, especially for my students,” Headmaster Dumbledore said. “And I would like to discuss arrangements so that Remus may attend Hogwarts as well.”_

_“I love my son, but he’s a werewolf. It’s illegal for him to even own a wand, let alone attend Hogwarts, where he would be a danger to everyone around him,” his father replied._

_Hearing the words made Remus swallow hard. He knew his parents loved him, and he knew what the laws were. But it still hurt to hear his father say that._

_“I believe that if proper precautions were taken, Remus would not pose a threat to anyone else at Hogwarts. I’ve spoken with Madam Pomfrey on this matter, and she is willing to see to Remus’ care before and after the full moons,” Dumbledore said._

_“The Board will never approve this,” his father pointed out “You can’t actually expect to be granted permission to bring a _werewolf_ to a school full of children.”_

_“The rest of the Board doesn’t need to know. This is a private matter regarding your son. His name has been down for Hogwarts since he was born. It would be a shame for him not to receive the education he deserves.”_

_“And what would happen to him during the full moons?” his mother asked. “How would you know that the other students would be safe?”_

_“I have set up a safe house for Remus, for his transformations. It is located in Hogsmeade, far enough away from the castle that he would pose no threat to the students or the faculty. There is a passage leading to the house from the grounds, and I have already spoken with Professor Sprout about procuring a Whomping Willow to plant over it. That should deter even the most adventurous of students from investigating,” the headmaster answered. Remus thought he sounded rather pleased with himself._

_“And what happens if he _does_ hurt someone, Professor? What happens if someone finds out that you allowed a werewolf to attend Hogwarts?” his father asked, anger rising in his tone. Remus felt his hope waning, tears stinging at his eyes as a lump formed in his throat._

_“Jonathan, Remus deserves a chance to go to school,” his mother pleaded softly. “He’s such a good boy, and you know how much he’s always dreamed of going. Don’t you think this is a risk worth taking, if it makes Remus happy?” He had to use all of his will power not to shout with joy, to rush down the stairs and add his own begging to the argument, hope flaring up again._

_“If anyone finds out, they could execute him, Martha. Is _that_ what you want for our boy?” Remus had to swallow hard at his father’s words, almost as painful as a physical blow. Knowing what would happen was one thing, but to hear someone else say it always made Remus’ stomach twist into knots. Especially when that someone else was his own father._

_“We would do everything to keep him safe and to keep others from finding out. His professors would be advised, as well as the head of his House, but they will all have to sign a contract not to disclose the information,” the headmaster said._

_“And his classmates? What will they be told?” his father asked._ __

_“It would be left to Remus’ discretion who he tells about his condition. A heavy burden for an eleven year old, yes, but Remus has always shown himself to be a mature child, and no one understands the weight of that responsibility better than him,” Dumbledore replied._

_Remus was tempted to run down the stairs and plead his case for himself, but that would negate everything the headmaster had just said about him being mature. He wanted to hope that his parents would agree; he wanted to believe that he would be allowed to get a wand and go to Hogwarts and be a _wizard_. _

_But he had been a werewolf for five years, and even the most unobservant person knew what that meant. He was lucky enough not to have been “put down” after he had first been bitten. It was a terribly big risk that the headmaster was offering to take for him. If he hurt someone or anyone else found out, Dumbledore could lose his job._

_His parents argued too quietly for him to hear, the moment stretching out for what felt like infinity but couldn’t have been more than five minutes, until his father sighed. “I want to see these arrangements that you’ve made before we agree,” his father said, and Remus’ heart soared. It wasn’t a definite yes, but it was better than anything he could have imagined._

His dad had taken him to the shack a week later, so they would both know what to expect when Remus transformed. The house had been gloomy and ramshackle, but his father had deemed it safe enough, and that had been the best birthday present he could have received.

But even knowing his father thought the shack safe wasn’t enough to quell his nerves. Sunday was the first time he would ever transform somewhere other than at home with his parents, and he was scared.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, especially now that he had been Sorted into Gryffindor. _House of the brave,_ he reminded himself. _That means you have to stick this out. You promised Mum to make it through first year at least._

He hated breaking promises, especially to his mother. So there would be no letter sent home tonight, nothing to save him from the round of questions his classmates were sure to ask when he returned Monday night.

He sighed, forcing all his racing thoughts down as far as they would go. He had a lot of work to do tomorrow so he wouldn't end up behind on Monday, and it was always hardest to concentrate right before the full moon. He would need all the rest he could get.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things are starting to pick up a little bit. Poor Peter...

Transfiguration was turning out to be a disaster. It was one of Peter’s first classes, and this first lesson in particular was supposed to be an easy one. By someone’s definition of easy, at least. The theory sounded simple enough from the reading he had done, but he just didn't have the knack for it.

“Your first assignment will be changing matchsticks into needles,” Professor McGonagall told them. Peter turned to the page near the front of their textbook.

“Examine your matchstick closely,” Peter read to himself. He picked up his matchstick and looked at it, but there was nothing extraordinary about it. It was just a normal matchstick, about an inch long. The tip was red, ready to be struck.

“Visualize a needle,” he read the next step. He tried to ignore the triumphant sounds that his classmates were making. James had already succeeded, and was now working on turning it back. The others were at least making progress.

“While visualizing the needle, carefully cast the spell,” he read. He picked up his wand, eyes scrunched almost all the way closed in concentration.

“_Mutatio_,” he said. Nothing was happening, so he tried concentrating harder, imaging the wood turning to shining metal and the head of the match turning into the eye of the needle.

He smelled the smoke and sulfur before the matchstick burst into flames. He yelped in surprise and dropped it.

Right on top of his Transfiguration book.

He could only stare in horror as fire curled across the pages of his book. The heat washed over him even as Professor McGonagall rushed to his desk, water pouring out of her wand.

“Kindly refrain from lighting anything else on fire, Mr. Pettigrew,” Professor McGonagall said, her tone stern. Peter heard James snicker from somewhere behind him. Now that the fire was put out, he had no excuse for the heat in his cheeks. She handed him a new matchstick.

“Thank you,” he said, taking it. He looked down at his soggy book, trying to fight back tears. This wasn’t how he had pictured his first day of classes to go.

Charms had been little better, but at least Professor Flitwick had told him his wand movements and pronunciations were good. He still hadn’t managed to get the feather off the desk, though.

He had been looking forward to History of Magic, both because of his love for history and the fact that the class didn’t involve using their wands. But their teacher was old enough to have lived through most of what he lectured about, and Peter had struggled to stay awake.

They weren’t scheduled to have Potions until Monday and Astronomy until Tuesday night. Peter had enjoyed the first Herbology class, having helped his mother with her plants over the last few years. But Defense threatened to be as dull as History, with a professor who seemed more interested in giving notes rather than teaching them anything practical.

_I’m going to have to spend all my spare time in the library,_ he thought in misery, settling into a corner of the Common Room. _Maybe if my essays are good, it’ll make up for the fact that I’m abysmal at everything else._

He had already spent most of his Saturday in the library, reading ahead in all of his textbooks. But frustration had finally got the better of him, so he was taking a break and treating himself to two more chapters of the _Count_. He could read his book and watch the other Gryffindors without being bothered.

Not that he really expected anyone to bother him. He could hear the girls chattering away at a table by the window. They certainly got on much better than he and his roommates did. If Sirius and James were in the same room for more than five minutes and neither of them was sleeping, they would start bickering.

The only explanation either boy had offered for their constant quarreling had to do with their parents. Peter was glad that his mother had avoided all the Pureblood politics after his father had been killed. Maybe he didn’t know his classmates as well as he could have, but he also didn’t judge them on their families, either.

He _wanted_ to be friends with Remus, but he seemed to be avoiding everyone more than even Sirius did. Maybe once he was feeling better, he would be more social. It wasn’t that late yet, but Remus had already gone upstairs to their room, looking pale enough that Peter had suggested he go to the Infirmary.

Remus hadn’t listened to his suggestion, of course. Most people never took Peter seriously.

He had spoken with the girls briefly during class and at breakfast the previous morning, but Marcia and Alice seemed to have become fast friends, and Lily had her friend in Slytherin that she spent most of her free time with, and Peter had felt terribly uncomfortable interfering. He didn't want to impose on them, didn't want to be seen as a nuisance or a pest. So he kept to himself.

He looked up again as James laughed loudly at something one of the older Gryffindors said.

_Wish I had his sort of confidence_, Peter thought. _He doesn’t even care that they’re just humoring him. Why should he though? At least he gets to spend time with them. _And _he doesn’t have to worry about classes. If only I were so lucky…_

Peter knew he was the only one struggling so far. One week into school and he was already falling behind.

_Hopefully I just need some more practice. Mum would be so disappointed if I couldn’t even make it through first year without failing everything._

Classes would have been so much easier if he had someone to work with, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He was just too shy. He’d have liked to work with Remus, who didn’t seem to be struggling, but Remus didn’t seem to want to work with anyone, least of all Peter.

He sighed, burying his nose back in his book. He had hoped that Hogwarts would be different, but so far, it seemed as if the _Count_ was still his only friend.

Too bad he wasn’t rich and good looking and clever like Edmond Dantès. Then everyone would _want_ to be friends with him, and he wouldn’t have to worry about trying to make them. Maybe tomorrow he would try and talk to Remus again…


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better way to spend a Saturday than at the office outside Pittsburgh instead of at a pig roast at home?

“Oy, Potter, you finish getting all our gear together?” Alex Brady asked, sitting down at a table near the window of the Common Room. “We’ve got practice tomorrow night, and Carpenter wants it ready.”

“I’m going down after classes tomorrow to check your robes, but everything else is done,” James replied, perking up from the homework he had been working on.

“Good. Don’t let us down or we’ll get Ken Allen back to take your place,” Alex warned. “Being equipment manager’s a big responsibility, you know.”

James nodded in agreement, as the boy he’d replaced shot glares at him from his spot in the cluster of second years by the fire. Everyone knew equipment manager wasn’t that big of a responsibility, else they wouldn’t trust a first year with the job. But the job did hold a certain level of prestige, even if it had nothing to do with any actual talent.

Everyone knew who James' father was. And any of the Gryffindor Quidditch players who wanted to consider going pro after school knew that James' father had connections. It would look favorably upon them if they humored his son.

Still, he should have been thrilled about the position. It was the closest a first year could come to actually being _on_ the team, and if he worked hard this year, he had the chance of making reserve for next year.

But even being able to attend practice and eat with the team didn’t make him any less miserable. The older students on the team were nice enough to him for the most part, but they weren't exactly friends with him.

He didn’t take it personally; it was just another part of the game his parents expected him to play. These were the people James was expected to spend time with, and it wasn't as if there was anyone else competing for his attention.

Still, it would be nice to actually _talk_ to some of his classmates.

_Not the girls, of course._ He made a face at the thought. _And certainly not Black. But Lupin and Pettigrew don’t seem like bad sorts. Even if they _are_ rather on the bookish side. I suppose no one’s perfect though._

He didn't know much about Lupin, but Pettigrew was a distant cousin through their mothers. He knew the Pettigrews had been well-to-do a few generations ago, but they didn't have much to go on these days.

He supposed it would be okay to let Pettigrew spend time with him. After all, the other boy would probably be grateful to have the chance to get his family back to its former status. And helping Pettigrew would be a Good Deed on James' part.

_Mum is always telling me I should help others and make good impressions and all of that. She’ll be happy to know I listen sometimes instead of just coming up with Quidditch moves in my head. And maybe she’ll leave off on the lectures for a while, so I _can_ come up with some new moves._

_Besides, if I don’t act soon, Black will beat me to it. The _last_ thing I want is for _him_ to start making friends in Gryffindor. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll just keep minding his own slimy business and leave the rest of us alone._

Lupin was a different story, and James just couldn't get a read on him. He spent most of his time alone in their room or tucked away in the library. He barely spoke in class, but didn't seem to be having any trouble. He'd been sick the first weekend, but had seemed fine since then. He came from a Wizarding family, that much James knew, but the Lupins weren't and hadn't ever been anything special.

James decided to make it his Next Big Project to find out more about the elusive Remus Lupin. He didn't like not knowing about his classmate. His father had always taught him to know his enemies _and_ his allies, and at the moment, he didn't know which category Lupin fell into, which meant it was doubly important to learn more about him.

_And once I know something about Lupin, I can make sure Black doesn’t sink his dirty claws into him, either. I’m in charge around here, not him, and if he wants friends, he can go find them somewhere else. Slytherin, preferably, with all the other snakes._

_And in the meantime, I can make Black pay for embarrassing me. He’ll regret having ever crossed paths with James Potter_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is crazy. Gotta go find a window to climb through since the metaphorical door was just slammed shut in my face.

The one good thing about being in Gryffindor House was that he didn't have to deal with Bellatrix. At least not most of the time. But she always found a way to catch him off guard at least once a day to make his life even more miserable than it already was.

The library, however, was one of the few places she rarely ventured, and most of the students were content to leave him well enough alone if he looked like he was busy doing work. And he always made sure to sit within sight of Madam Pince, where even the most determined of Slytherins wouldn't dare try anything.

The librarian was too well known for banning students from the library when they had papers to write, or making sure none of the professors would give them slips for the Restricted Section, or limiting the number of books they could borrow. The other professors never argued her decisions because they knew it helped keep the library as a productive workplace. The ever-ambitious Slytherins would never risk their grades like that.

Unfortunately, Andromeda Black wasn't a Slytherin. She was Head Girl, to boot, and as a Ravenclaw she was one of Madam Pince's favorite students. Besides, she was a _Black_, which meant she had no qualms about sitting down across from Sirius.

"Hey, brat. How're things?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice low enough to not disturb anyone else who might be working.

"Go away. I'm not supposed to be talking to you," Sirius said, not looking up from his textbook.

"Says who?" she asked in return.

"My mum," Sirius replied. Andromeda laughed quietly even as Sirius kept his eyes fixed resolutely on his book, hoping she would get the point and leave him alone.

"You may have missed it, kid, but your mum isn't here. No one's stopping you from talking to me." He wished he could believe her, but he knew better.

"If Bella sees, she'll tell. Or use it as blackmail,” he said, finally looking up to meet her eyes, challenging her to disagree.

"Leave Bella to me, Sirius. I've been dealing with her a lot longer than you have. Now tell me, how are things going?" Sirius kept his expression blank, deciding that humoring her would be the only way to get her to leave him alone.

"Splendidly, dear cousin. The Gryffindors have all welcomed me with open arms and I've become their new hero," he said with more sarcasm than he had intended.

_Well done, Sirius, alienate the only person talking to you who isn’t a teacher or Bellatrix_, he thought bitterly. There was no point in apologizing though.

"Sounds like things are going well then," she replied dryly. Sirius scowled at her. "Hey, don't give me that look. Us rebels need to stick together."

"I don't want to be a rebel, Andy. Being a rebel gets you screamed at by Mum and lectured by Dad, and then disowned and blasted off the family tree," Sirius said darkly. He saw his older cousin flinch just a little and he couldn't help but smirk, knowing he had scored a touch.

Old habits died hard, after all, and even Andy had always taken part in that family tradition.

"You're not going to get disowned just for getting Sorted into Gryffindor, you know. You have to do something much more drastic, like consorting with Blood Traitors and Muggles. And you, Sirius, haven't been consorting with _anyone_, let alone someone your mother would deem 'unsavory,'" Andromeda said.

"Yeah, well, why don't you just go crawl back to your Mudblood boyfriend then and leave me alone before she finds out I was talking to you?" This time he saw fire flare in Andromeda's eyes, and he was the one to flinch.

_Bloody brilliant, you are. Just like hitting a hornet’s nest with a Reducto curse._

"I'm going to pretend like you didn't just say that only because I know exactly what you're going through, Sirius. Just keep in mind that you're short on family and even shorter on friends right now. If you want my help, you know where to find me," Andromeda said, rising from her seat.

Disowned she might be, but Andromeda was still a Black by blood, and she certainly fit the part at the moment. Head held high and back straight, she met his gaze without a hint of anger.

The look sent a shiver down his spine and reminded him that Andromeda was the only one who had ever been able to keep her middle sister in check. She was still harder than diamonds, even if she was getting soft in her political views.

All the same, Sirius managed to scowl at her, letting all the bitterness and anger boil up. "And _you_ should keep in mind that _I'm_ still heir to the family name while _you're_ just a filthy Blood Traitor."

Pity filled her eyes as Andromeda shook her head, but she walked away without another word. Sighing, Sirius finally let himself slump into his seat, only to stiffen as he heard soft clapping coming from behind a bookshelf. Bellatrix stepped out, smirking.

"Well said, cousin. Rest assured Auntie Walburga will be hearing about this. She was _so_ worried about you, and it will come as a relief for her that you haven't been corrupted," Bellatrix said.

Sirius glared at her even as a desperate hope soared inside him. "Go away, Bella. I don't care what you tell my mother."

She just grinned knowingly and left him alone, for once not staying to torment him longer. If she was telling the truth and _did_ write his mother, then there _was_ still the chance that he wouldn't end up in the same category as Andromeda.

He hadn't meant everything he had said to his eldest cousin, but at least part of it had been true; he didn't want to be a rebel. He just wanted to keep his place in the family. Anything else would leave him a disgrace.

Family was important to him, more than almost anything. The prospect of being disowned, even if Andy would still talk to him, was terrifying. And that would leave Regulus as the heir.

_He could never handle it,_ Sirius thought with a frown. _He’s the baby of the family, everyone’s always sheltered him from this stuff. He’d crumple under the pressure of being in charge of one of the oldest Pureblood families in the country._

He tried not to remember the day Andromeda had been disowned, the taste of burnt fabric still in the back of his throat and the lecture his father gave him about the importance of family and the duty Sirius had. Andromeda would have been a strong ally, despite being a woman. _Had_ been a strong ally, especially in protecting Sirius and Regulus from Bellatrix, and just in the last few months Sirius had felt the added pressure and the shifting of power between him and his cousins.

_I won’t let that happen to him. I won’t let him get dragged into all of this. I like Regulus just how he is, carefree and happy. He’s the best of us, and I want it to stay that way._

_There’s still time before Christmas. I’ll just have to be top of my year and not talk to any of the Gryffindors and maybe Mum and Dad won’t be too mad at me. And maybe at the end of the year, if I’ve done well, Dad can talk with Headmaster Dumbledore and get me put into Slytherin, where I belong. Where I can protect Regulus from Bellatrix._

He bent back over his book, determined to do whatever it took to please his parents and keep his brother safe and happy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How _do_ you solve a problem like Maria?

"So I spoke with Professor Slughorn before class and he said it would be okay for us to work on that project together, because we're in the same class section. And then he gave me a note to use one of the private study rooms in the library so Madam Pince wouldn't yell at us for talking," Lily said with a  smile.

Severus nodded, only half listening to what she was saying as he focused on finishing the last paragraph of his essay.

"I've started making notes, too. I thought we could do something really interesting, like a restorative draught or a truth serum. There should be plenty of information on either of them, we're supposed to brew them in the upper years, so it can't all be in the Restricted Section, can it?" Lily continued, clearly unfazed by Severus' lack of attention. She stopped talking, and Severus could feel her peering over his shoulder.

"Oh, is that the Charms essay? I can look it over for you, if you'd like. I finished mine last night and Frank Longbottom—he's a third year in Gryffindor who Professor Flitwick said was great with Charms—he's agreed to look it over for me," Lily said as Severus scanned his last paragraph one more time.

"I would appreciate if you would," he told her. Lily beamed, already pulling the parchment towards her. Severus scowled at her, but as usual, she ignored it. That was just how Lily was, after all. "I agree that either subject for Potions would prove to be reasonably interesting, as well," he added.

"Oh, stop being so stuffy, Sev. You don't have to play your stupid games with me. We've been friends for almost three years now," Lily said, looking up from the essay.

"And I've been telling you for all those years that my name is _Severus_," he replied without much malice. Lily just winked at him and started making marks on his writing again.

"I don't see why you feel the need to prove yourself to them anyway. They're just a bunch of stuck up, spoiled brats," Lily said. Severus studied her for a long moment.

"Have they been bothering you again?" he asked, tone colder than usual. Lily didn't look up, but he could see that she had stopped reading, eyes no longer darting over the page and quill stopped.

"You don't need to fight my battles for me, Sev. I'm a witch, same as them, and if they want to think differently, I'll just smash them into the ground with my grades and prove them wrong," Lily replied. "And besides, if you do still want to prove yourself to them, you can't be seen to be defending a Mudblood like me."

"Don't call yourself that," Severus hissed at her. Angry green eyes met his, and he had to force himself not to invade her thoughts.

"It's the truth though, isn't it? I'm just a filthy Mudblood because my mum is a housewife and my dad is a banker and neither of them is a witch or wizard?" Even stopping himself from using the strange powers he never quite understood, Severus could hear the anger and hurt in his best friend's voice.

"Anyone who calls you that should rot in hell," Severus said. "And I'll send them there. You're the smartest in our year so far."

"No. Potter and Black both do better in Transfigs than I do, and you're better at Potions than me, and Lupin is better at Defense," Lily said, sniffling only a little.

"Potter and Black can go jump off a cliff together. You know I'm not a Pureblood and Lupin's not either. Half our year isn't, and Cattermole can trace his family back six generations on both sides, and he's dumb as a rock," Severus said.

He had seen this brewing for the last two weeks, but hadn't known how to reassure Lily. He wasn't really doing a good job now, but he had to try. She was his friend, the only real one he had.

This was a strange role reversal for them; usually Lily was comforting Severus and defending him against her sister’s barbs and taunts about how his father was a drunk and his mother didn’t care about him and how they were so poor that they had to live on welfare. Here, no one cared as much about that sort of thing.

She rewarded him with a weak smile. "I guess you're right. You and me, Sev, we're going to show them, aren't we? We'll be top of our year and then they'll have to realize that blood doesn't matter."

Severus managed a smile in return as Lily returned to marking up his Charms essay. She was brilliant, and Severus knew if anyone could make such an ideal dream into reality, it would be her.

_I just hope I prove myself worthy,_ he thought. _After all, she’s the only one who’s ever looked past my appearance, past my Slytherin mother and drunken Muggle father. She doesn’t care about money or that sometimes I act mean to her. She knows the real me. And I don’t even have to use my Legilimancy to know that she cares._

He made a silent vow. _If there’s anything within my power that I can do to keep you as my friend, Lily, to protect you from the hardships of the world and the dangers lying in wait for someone as idealistic as you, I’ll do it. No matter what._

She was _his_, and he wouldn't give that up in a million years.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look a few new readers. Maybe I should update, then...

Peter had been struggling through a star chart when he realized someone had sat down across from him. He looked up, startled, to find James grinning at him.

"Hey, Pete. How're you?" James asked. Peter couldn't help but stare just a little. James Potter had started a conversation with _him_, without anyone prompting him to. He blinked, wondering if he was imagining things, but James was still sitting there, still grinning at him.

"It's Peter," he replied softly, the first thing that came to his mind, blushing at how stupid he sounded.

"Right. Peter. So, have you chosen a partner yet for Slughorn's project?"

"Umm... I was going to..." James didn’t wait for him to finish, and Peter got the feeling that maybe he didn’t actually care one way or another.

"No? I suppose you could be my partner, if you wanted. The girls have already got partners, and Lupin's disappeared again, and no way I'm working with a _Slytherin_," James said. By the way he said the last word, Peter figured Sirius was included in that category as well.

He had been planning on working with Remus, but James was right; the other boy was nowhere to be found. He had been in classes yesterday morning, but had disappeared around lunch time and hadn't shown up in the dormitories last night. He hadn't been in classes at all today.

Besides, _James Potter_ was asking for Peter to be his partner. An opportunity like this just didn't come along every day. And while James could be a bit of a prat sometimes, he'd been fairly decent to Peter for the most part. It was a chance to maybe become friends with one of his classmates, something Peter wanted more than anything.

And of all his classmates, James was the one who reminded Peter the most of his favorite character. Maybe a little bit self-centered sometimes, but people generally tended to like James, and he certainly had more than enough money to buy friends if he wanted to. His family was powerful and glamorous, always attending the fanciest balls and exciting Quidditch matches.

Peter couldn’t help but be a little bit envious. He didn’t really care about the money or the balls or the Quidditch, but the entire lifestyle was something he had always dreamed about. And being friends with James Potter meant that at least he would have a chance at hearing about it first hand, even if he was never part of it himself.

_Now or never, Peter,_ he told himself, trying to stop his heart from pounding furiously. James could probably hear it as he waited expectantly for Peter’s answer. _Say something before he thinks you’re a complete idiot and changes his mind!_

"I overheard one of the second years saying that they had done an invisibility potion last year for this project and Professor Slughorn had said it was one of his favorites," Peter suggested. "I mean... if you haven't already thought of a potion to do...." He blushed again, ducking his head to try and hide it.

"That's brilliant, mate! We're sure to do well if we're doing something Slughorn likes," James said. Peter glanced up to see James grinning broadly. "Hey, it's almost dinner time. Want to come down with me?"

"I was going to go after I finished this star chart. It's due tonight, and I'm barely halfway done..."

"I'll help you when we get back. I’ve had mine done for ages. I'm absolutely _starving_ right now. Quidditch practice lasted _forever_. I swear, Carpenter’s trying to kill us all, and I’m not even on the team. So, are you coming?" James asked, standing and giving Peter another expectant look.

He hesitated, looking down at the chart, thinking of all the work he had to do. He thought about sitting there struggling for another hour by himself, about going down to dinner by himself, about how _lonely_ that sounded. He took a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face, standing as well.

"I guess it can wait until after dinner," Peter said. James grinned again, leading them both down towards the Great Hall. Peter crossed his fingers for luck on the way down, hoping that this was the break he had been waiting for.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Real Life got the best of me these last few months. But I'm back! And the story is better than ever! And... I'm not sure when I'll update again, mostly because the chapters need some work, and partly because I'm working on a big side project with a friend. But I WILL be posting the entire story, eventually! I promise.

Remus was tired and sore as he climbed the stairs in Gryffindor Tower to his dorm room. His knees popped with every step, keeping time with the throbbing in his head. He hoped the room would be empty, that the others would all be down at dinner in the Great Hall.

The last thing he wanted to do right now was answer questions. He still had a stack of assignments that he hadn't done during the day because he'd ended up breaking his right hand the night before and had needed to let it heal. Even with magic, the healing was a long and tiring process, one that Remus would experience far too many times in his life.

_Two full moons down for the year; seven more to go, not counting the blue moon in December_, he counted off to himself. _At least I’ll be home for that second one. And the moon in June isn’t until after classes let out for the summer._

_Claimed to be sick last month. I suppose I can use that again, but I’ll need something different for next month. And it’s on a Tuesday, so I’ll be missing Astronomy too. _

Keeping track of all the lies was one of the harder parts. He didn’t dare write down his excuses anywhere, either. Sirius and James had already proven they couldn’t be trusted not to go through their roommates’ things, though both would likely claim they were entirely trustworthy, for people who ‘deserved’ it.

He sighed, pushing the door open to find the room mostly empty. Usually Sirius would study in the library, but it seemed as if tonight he had decided not to.

_At least he’s not likely to bother me,_ Remus thought, moving towards his trunk. _He keeps to himself almost as much as I do. Except when he’s taunting James, of course._

Most of the time, Remus found it amusing the way the two boys bickered. It reminded Remus of the way his father and his uncle always fought, always trying to push each others’ buttons on purpose. But his headache was already bad enough to make his jaw hurt, and he wouldn’t be able to take their squabbling tonight. Not without losing his composure and snapping at both of them.

_And if you start yelling, you’ll draw attention to yourself. Better to be overlooked and ignored than noticed and kicked out of school._

Sirius barely paid him any heed, only glancing up from his books for a moment before looking back down. Remus pulled out his Astronomy book and settled down onto his bed.

"Are you not done with the star chart yet?" Sirius asked. Remus startled; Sirius had never actually addressed him before, as far as Remus could recall.

"I finished my chart yesterday. I just wanted to check over it again," Remus replied. He turned back to the chart, figuring that was the extent of the conversation. He was wrong, apparently.

"Did you skip History to finish it?" Remus shrugged in response to Sirius’ question.

"No. I went to the Hospital Wing. I wasn’t feeling well and there’s not much better to do there than homework," Remus said. Sirius nodded.

"We've got that Potions project and Professor Slughorn's not letting anyone work alone," Sirius said. His tone was casual, almost conversational. Usually he was jeering or sneering at James, or sounding condescending to almost anyone else. “Everyone else already has partners.”

"Are you asking to work with me?" Remus asked. He wasn’t sure if he was more surprised that Sirius was asking _him_, or that the other boy had managed to sound so casual about having to ask _anyone_.

"Could be worse. I _could_ be stuck working with Potter," Sirius said. _Ah_, Remus thought. _Always an ulterior motive, even when he’s trying to sound friendly._

"He's not that bad..." _Most of the time, at least…_ But James didn’t usually bother Remus, usually just overlooking him. But that’s how Remus wanted things, so he didn’t mind.

"He thinks he's Merlin's gift to Wizarding kind just because Daddy has lots of money and works in the Ministry," Sirius retorted. "He's a spoiled brat and his entire family is a shame to the entire Pureblood society."

Remus flinched; he couldn't help it. "Maybe you should work with Peter..." Sirius looked almost hurt and maybe a little surprised. Remus hadn’t ever seen him show that much emotion before. But if he hadn’t been so tired, he probably would have laughed at the irony of Sirius’ statement. After all, James and Sirius were the only two people who couldn’t see just how alike they were.

"Why? He's already agreed to work with Potter. I heard him earlier in the Common Room." Remus hesitated before replying. He didn’t want to make Sirius hate him completely, but if the other boy didn’t already know…

"I'm not a Pureblood." Something dark crossed Sirius' face, but Remus could only imagine what it was. He didn’t know Sirius all that well, but he knew the Black family by reputation. _Everyone_ knew the Black family by reputation, and Remus hadn’t seen any indication so far that Sirius was any different. They were infamous for inbreeding, claiming that only Purebloods were true wizards, and anything else would ‘dilute’ their magic.

"You're still better than Potter," Sirius finally decided. He certainly sounded sure about that much, but Remus knew he would have reached that conclusion by an insanely circuitous route that would have made his head hurt on a normal day.

“Should I be flattered by that assessment?” Remus asked. Obviously, his observations about Sirius weren’t that far off base, as Sirius just shrugged.

“Take is as you will. You’ve at least got some respect for what it means to be a wizard. And you know how to mind your own business, unlike Potter. And you don’t go around bragging about the job on the House Quidditch team that your daddy got for you,” Sirius said. He sounded almost jealous, but Remus wouldn’t dare accuse him of that.

“If you’d rather work with Peter, I could always ask James to switch,” Remus offered. There was enough tension in their room already without project partners being an issue.

“It’s just one project. I’ll survive,” Sirius replied dismissively. “It’s not like we have to be friends or anything.”

Remus sighed, but nodded. He felt a little disappointed, but tried not to let it show, turning his attention back to his star chart.

_If he has this much trouble just accepting me as his project partner because my mum isn’t a witch, you’re stupid to think we could ever be friends. Better to keep your distance, Remus,_ he chided himself.

_Besides, friends know things about each other. And if he ever knew the truth, it could only lead to disaster._


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm... yeah... I haven't forgotten about this story. I really haven't. I've even got a few more chapters after this one that are ready to go, so maybe I'll get my butt in gear and keep posting and editing what needs to be edited. In the meantime... enjoy! Also, apparently, Chapter 9 never posted correctly, but I've fixed that, so if you missed that chapter somewhere along the way, you may want to go back and read it.

James eased out of his bed, making sure the curtains remained closed so no one would notice he wasn't in it. He had been waiting for this moment all day, ever since the Owl Post had arrived that morning with his package.

Classes had been tortuously slow, dragging on for what had felt like forever, and he had almost skipped lunch to enact his revenge.

_Except Black is smart enough not to leave his trunk unlocked,_ James thought. _Clever bastard._

Waiting for his roommates to fall asleep had been just as painfully slow. Two hours had passed, James already wrapped in his Invisibility Cloak, the small jar tucked under his pillow when no one else had been in the room earlier. This was going to take all of his skill at sneaking around undetected for his master plan to work.

_But it will be worth it. Oh will it ever be worth it!_

His heart was thumping madly as he crossed the room towards Black's bed. He still felt the flutter of excitement from when his father had given him the Cloak the day his Hogwarts letter had arrived, and knew this was a perfect opportunity to use it. Black was usually a light sleeper, but with the Cloak, James would never get caught.

Black's shoes were sitting neatly next to his trunk, just _begging_ to be pranked. And this had been an absolutely brilliant idea on James' part.

_Easy enough to execute, too. Whoever had thought to combine itching powder with stink powder was a genius_._ The fact that Gambol and Japes sells it through their mail-order catalogue only makes things better._

He’d placed the order almost immediately after he had come up with the plan to teach Black a lesson. Sometimes simplicity was the best path, and if stink-and-itch powder wasn’t terribly original, James didn’t let that faze him.

The instructions said that it didn't take much, and James knew if he used too much, Black might notice before the prank really had a chance to take effect. If things worked according to plan, by lunchtime, Black would have horrendously itchy feet, and he wouldn't even be able to take his shoes off without stinking up the entire castle.

_If he thought he could humiliate me like that, he’ll think twice next time after dealing with Potter’s Revenge._

He sprinkled just a little powder into each shoe, grinning as he did so. He paused after he finished, listening to the sounds of the room, making sure he hadn’t woken anyone up. Lupin was tossing in his sleep again, probably having another nightmare that he never talked about. Peter was snoring softly, which meant he was actually asleep and not just pretending. Black shifted as James screwed the lid back on the jar, sitting up abruptly, wand drawn.

"Who's there?" he whispered into the dark room. James stood still, holding his breath. He might be under the Cloak, but that didn't mean he couldn't be heard. "_Lumos_."

The tip of Black's wand lit up, casting light around him. James was surprised that Black already knew that spell. They weren't due to learn it for another three weeks.

_Not that it’s a difficult spell_, James reassured himself. _I’ve known it for almost a month now, after all._

He couldn't help but smirk as Black's eyes slid right past where he was standing. Sometimes it was just too _easy_. Having Black sharing a dorm with him was almost a blessing in disguise in that regard. James didn't even have to leave his room to play pranks on his Mortal Enemy.

_Still, he doesn’t belong here. He should crawl back down to the dungeons to be with all the other slimy snakes._

After another long minute of scrutiny, Black extinguished the light on his wand, lying down again. James counted to one hundred in his head before he headed back to his own bed as quietly as he could, easing back between the curtains. He folded up his Invisibility Cloak and tucked it under his pillow with the jar, after making sure one last time it was tightly closed.

He smiled in content as he drifted into sleep. Tomorrow he would reap the sweet fruits of revenge.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erm... hi.... yeah.... I'll get around to posting the rest of this story eventually, I swear...

He was going to kill someone. He knew exactly who, too, because James Potter was terrible at trying to remain subtle. Potter had been smirking at him all morning, and it hadn't been until the middle of Charms that Sirius had started to figure out why.

_Two can play at this game,_ Sirius thought. _And itching powder in my shoes isn’t even that clever._

Making it all the way through morning classes without showing any signs of discomfort was an exercise in patience. But Sirius had plenty of practice with that, and it was amusing to see Potter’s growing frustration as he remained impassive.

Potter had obviously been smart enough to realize that Sirius didn't leave any of his other belongings out in the open where anyone could mess with them. He'd learned _that_ lesson before his fifth birthday. But his shoes were something he hadn't considered.

Not any more. And Potter was stupid enough not to take the same precautions in return. So while Sirius went back to the dorms during lunch to deal with the itching (and the smell, he quickly realized), Potter wasn't there to keep an eye on his things.

_Idiot._ _ He’s almost made it too easy. Not that I won’t take advantage of the fact that he’s left the jar of powder right here inside his trunk, wide open with books and robes overflowing everywhere. Slob._

Barely a minute later, he had sprinkled the powder liberally over Potter's undergarments, and for good measure, just a little bit onto his comb.

_That one will take Potter longer to realize. If he even uses a comb._

Of course, he couldn't really consider this his revenge. Sirius wanted to show Potter that he shouldn't mess with a master. Anyone could order something from a catalogue and sneak it into his roommate's belongings.

_Itching powder is for amateurs, and I’m most certainly _not_. Let him think I’ve already made my move. Let him get complacent. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold._

Figuring Potter might try to retaliate for this, he made sure his trunk was locked before heading down to catch the end of lunch.

Potter was still staring at him like some love-sick school girl, probably hoping for Sirius to be embarrassed or upset. Sirius just smirked at him, pleased at the dark scowl crossing Potter's face. Then an idea blossomed as he watched Potter go back to boot-licking.

The best part of his plan was that it could be counted as schoolwork, too. He just had to convince Lupin to help him brew this potion. The brown-haired boy was reading his Defense book, probably because they were having a quiz later that afternoon. Sirius moved to sit across from him.

"Lupin," he addressed the quiet boy. Sirius didn't exactly _like_ Lupin; he was, after all, only a Halfblood. But Sirius had learned that the boy's father was on the Board of Governors, which made him useful, at least. Even Bellatrix wouldn’t disagree with that, and she had been the one to teach Sirius to always look for the advantages in any relationship, no matter how casual.

"Did you need something?" Lupin asked, not looking up from his book. Sirius scowled, but kept his temper in check. As expected, Lupin was completely lacking in manners and respect, but Sirius _did_ need something from him.

"Shrinking Solution. Shouldn't be too hard to make, but complicated enough to keep Professor Slughorn off our backs," Sirius said. Lupin marked the page in his book and finally looked up.

"It's a third-year potion," Lupin said. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I heard some of the older students talking about it," he clarified.

"Right, well, then we'll already have it aced by the time we get to third year then, won't we?" Lupin was scrutinizing him; Sirius met his brown eyes and held them, not backing down. Lupin finally broke eye contact, looking down at his book again.

"Sounds good to me then, I guess. We can meet in the library after dinner tonight?" Lupin suggested.

"That's fine by me. There should be a copy of the third year potions text in there, so we won't even need to look for the recipe too hard." Bellatrix was headed in his direction with an evil look in her eyes.

"See you in class," he told Lupin before retreating as quickly as possible to the closest boys' bathroom to wait out the rest of lunch where his cousin couldn't get at him. He ignored the little voice inside his head calling him a coward the entire way. After all, only a fool didn’t opt for a tactical retreat where Bellatrix was concerned.

And no one had ever accused Sirius Black of being a fool.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have another chapter! We're approaching the point I'd reached in my original set of rewrites. I've more or less decided to proceed forward through the rest of the story without doing further rewrites, as it's been languishing on my computer for three years or so, and I figured completeness was more important than marginal increases in quality. Which is to say, the original draft wasn't horrible, and the story is all there. So, yeah. Let's see if I can get this thing all posted, yeah?

Lily wasn't much of a sports fan, but she had been hearing about Quidditch for almost two months now, and she wanted to see what it was like for herself. Besides, Gryffindor was playing, and she wanted to show her support for her House.

Sev had begged off, saying he needed to catch up on work. Lily knew he was lying, because they always did their work together, but she didn't push him to come out to the match. If he didn't want to watch, she wasn't going to force him.

The weather had just started to get cool, even on a sunny Saturday like this one. Just perfect for the new red-and-gold hat her mother had sent in the mail last week. The stands were filled with a thrilling atmosphere, surrounded by all her fellow Gryffindors, a mass of cheering and shouting and the occasional jeer.

"Really, Gryffindor's got the better team this year. Slytherin lost their Seeker last year, so they'll have someone fresh to the team, while Gryffindor's all veterans of at least two seasons," Alice said from the seat next to Lily. Her roommate had gone over the top, in Lily's opinion, going so far as to get one of the seventh years to charm red streaks into her blond hair.

"You're going to have to explain everything to me," Lily said, watching the players warm up. She had enjoyed their flying lessons, but had only been passable at it. This, however, was absolutely amazing. The older students were flying at break-neck speeds and doing loop-the-loops and barrel rolls, and it was all completely fascinating for someone who had never thought people could _really_ fly on broomsticks.

"It's easy once you watch for a bit. You'll want to keep an eye on the Seeker, of course, but that's not hard because Brady's an absolute doll, isn't he?" Marcia said from Alice's other side; both of her parents had gone to Hogwarts, but Marcia's grandparents had all been Muggles, so she at least had grown up knowing about things like Seekers and bludgers and Quidditch rules.

"Harper is _so_ much better looking than Brady, even if he _is_ a Slytherin," Alice said. "But Brady's the better flyer, _and_ he's got the better broom. If Gryffindor loses today, it'll be because Slytherin's full of rotten losers and cheats."

"They're not all bad, you know," Lily said. Alice and Marcia exchanged a look, rolling their eyes.

"Maybe your boyfriend isn't, but the rest of them are a bunch of sneaks and liars," Alice said.

"It's not like that. Sev and I have been friends since forever. Besides, I'm _eleven_. I'm not old enough to have a boyfriend," Lily said.

"Keep thinking that, dear. Oh speaking of which, Alice, did you hear about Narcissa Black?" Marcia asked.

"What did she do _this_ time?" Alice asked in return, only sounding halfway bored by the conversation.

"Oh, it wasn't anything _she_ did. Of course _everyone_ knows what her sister Andromeda did, getting engaged to that Muggleborn, but she was supposed to marry Lucius Malfoy. They've been betrothed for _ages_. So when Andromeda got disowned, he had to have _someone_ to marry, and who in their right mind would want to marry _Bellatrix_?" Marcia said.

Lily was only half paying attention to the gossip; she had heard all these names before, but the Pureblood society just didn't interest her at all. Even though the game hadn’t started yet, watching the two teams warm up was better than talking about other people’s arranged marriages.

"He's going to marry _Narcissa_? But she's only a second year, and he's like, _old_!" Alice exclaimed, paying more attention now.

"I know! But you know how much the Malfoys wanted to give themselves a boost, and what better way than marrying a Black? Doesn't matter which one, really. Oh, speaking of _Blacks_, though, Sirius isn't so bad looking, is he?"

Alice crinkled her nose at Marcia. "He's not very _nice_, though, is he? And he and James are always going at it. They're going to get the rest of us in trouble one of these days."

"Well, he's better than James is, anyway. Look at him down there, he thinks he's so special because they let him pick up after them and clean all their gear. Oh, but that prank Sirius played on him the other day!" Marcia lowered her voice just a little and did a fairly good impression of their classmate. "_'What's the matter, Potter? Crotch rot?_' I don't think I even want to know what that _is!_"

"Oh, enough of that, the match is about to start!" Lily said, pointing towards where Mr. Harris, the flying instructor, was moving to the center of the pitch. It was an effective way to get both of her roommates to stop gossiping, though.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor Lions versus Slytherin Snakes! This is Katherine Bloodsaw, announcing!"

Lily watched the two teams streak onto the field, barely more than green and red blurs. She could barely hear the announcer any more as all of the Gryffindors around her started cheering.

"And they're off! Gryffindor leads strong with the Quaffle, moving up the field towards the Slytherin goal posts, where Keeper Archie Davies is lying in wait!" She let the atmosphere sweep her away and joined in the clapping and shouting as Gryffindor scored the first points of the game. Fifteen minutes later, when Slytherin scored, she booed along with everyone else.

The fast-paced action and nerve-wracking moves that the players were making was all so thrilling. One of the Slytherin Beaters had fouled one of the Gryffindor Chasers at one point, hitting him with his bat. Lily's blood had boiled, but Gryffindor scored another goal on the penalty; the Chaser had seemed fine, too, as he zipped down the field and scored _another_ goal only moments later, setting the green-and-silver portion of the crowd to booing while the Gryffindor supporters all cheered and screamed.

The match finally ended after two grueling hours, the Gryffindor Seeker barely getting the Snitch before his Slytherin counterpart. Lily had screamed herself hoarse, but it had certainly been worth it. She didn't think she would ever _play_ Quidditch, but it was lots of fun to watch.

"Party in the Common Room!" one of the seventh years shouted to the Gryffindors. Lily recognized him as the brother of Gideon Prewett, who was the Keeper on the team, but she didn't know his name.

It didn't much matter, as she was swept away with the crowd back towards the castle. She had homework to do still, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to spend at least a _little_ time helping to congratulate the team...


End file.
